State leaders seek ideas on reducing vehicle emissions

THE ISSUE: Transportation is the state’s largest source of carbon emissions.

THE IMPACT: State leaders are soliciting input on strategies to reduce emissions from the transportation sector.

Gerry Tuoti Wicked Local Newsbank Editor

In the face of President Donald Trump’s proposals to loosen environmental protections, Massachusetts leaders are doubling down on the state’s commitment to fight climate change.

The state Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and Department of Transportation plan to hold a series of listening sessions across the state to solicit public input on environmental issues such as reducing carbon emissions from vehicles and making the state’s transportation infrastructure more resilient in the face of climate change. The listening tour will feature sessions on Oct. 31 in Boston, Nov. 2 in Worcester, Nov. 6 in Amherst and Nov. 9 in Brockton.

The listening sessions are linked to an executive order Gov. Charlie Baker signed to establish a strategy to meet the goals of the 2008 Global Warming Solutions Act. The state legislation set a goal of bringing the state’s greenhouse gas emissions to a level that’s 25 percent lower than 1990 levels by 2020, and 80 percent lower than 1990 levels by 2050. Massachusetts is already closing in on the 2020 goal. As of 2014, the most recent year for which complete data is available, statewide greenhouse gas emissions were 21 percent below 1990 levels, according to the Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

As the Trump administration proposes to loosen restrictions on carbon emissions, many environmental advocates say it will be increasingly important for state governments and the private sector to take the lead.

“The question is how much can the Trump administration roll back,” said Michael Green, executive director of the Boston-based Climate Action Business Association. “They’ve shown tenacity for attacking and rolling back environmental policy like you couldn’t believe.”

The Trump administration, which announced earlier this year that it planned to withdraw the United States from the international Paris climate accord, introduced a proposal Oct. 9 to repeal the Obama-era Clean Power Plan. The 2015 Clean Power Plan was intended to push states away from coal in favor of power sources that produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

In Massachusetts, coal power plants have mostly been replaced by natural gas and other cleaner sources over the past two decades. Following that shift, the transportation sector is now the biggest source of carbon emissions in the state.

Larry Chretien, executive director of the nonprofit Mass Energy Consumers Alliance, advocates for wider adoption of electric vehicles as a means to reduce fossil fuel emissions. State government leaders set a target last year of putting 300,000 electric cars on Massachusetts roads by 2025. There are currently about 11,000 statewide.

His organization teamed up with auto dealers to offer discounts on electric vehicle purchases that can be combined with a $2,500 state rebate and $7,500 tax credit.

Chretien said he realizes the state can’t continue to fund the $2,500 rebates indefinitely, but can take other steps to encourage the use of electric cars. Facilitating infrastructure improvements and creating a network of public charging stations for electric vehicles, he said, could help.

He also called for Massachusetts to explore ways to restructure electric rates so that electric customers would be charged higher rates during peak demand and lower rates during off-peak hours. That would both strengthen the electric grid and discourage electric car owners from charging their cars during peak demand hours.

Green said that while transportation accounts for 39 percent of carbon emissions in Massachusetts — more than any other sector — it’s important to also keep the broader picture in mind. Buildings and heating, he said, account for 37 percent of carbon emissions and should also be considered in the policy discussion.

He favors creating a policy to put a price on carbon as a means to encourage consumers to decrease their use of fossil fuels to power their vehicles and heat their homes.

“We would need to put a price on transportation fuel and quickly extend it to home heating and the rest of the economy if we want to reduce the emissions to meet our mandate,” Green said. “Essentially, the increased price in supply diminishes demand. That’s really the only way we’re going to be able to get a bang for buck.”

He envisions a future in which electric heating systems, driven by a renewable-powered grid, replace oil and gas heat.

This summer, following Baker’s executive order, the state Department of Environmental Protection launched a series of new regulations aimed at working toward the statewide greenhouse gas emissions goals.

“While Massachusetts has made significant strides to combat climate change, we must continue to work together across the Commonwealth and the region to achieve substantial emission reductions from every sector, including transportation, in order to chart a course that will ensure we can meet emission limits for 2050,” Baker said in a statement.